In a press conference, Pickens, who owns Mesa Power LLP, suggested that wind power could be used to provide 20 percent of the country’s electricity, freeing up more natural gas to be used to power cars. Cutting dependence on foreign oil in this way could save the U.S. $230 billion a year, Pickens says.

Enacting the “Pickens Plan” will require the U.S. government to recognize the current energy situation as a “national emergency,” Pickens added.

“Wind power currently accounts for 48 billion kWh of electricity a year in the United States,” the official Pickens Plan Web site states. This is “enough to serve more than 4.5 million households. That is still only about 1% of current demand, but the potential of wind is much greater.”

The American Wind Energy Association reports that in the first quarter of 2008, Texas was the national leader in wind power, generating more than 5,300 megawatts of power. California ranks second. The AWEA notes on its Web site that more than 30 states are producing at least some of their electricity with wind power.

Oil analyst Peter Beutel told CNN that Pickens’ concept has a great chance of succeeding and could have dramatic results for U.S. energy. The plan is “not something that either party has pitted itself outrightly against,” Beutel said. “It therefore has a tremendous chance for success on Capitol Hill.”

Word of Pickens’ plan made it into the press earlier this year when it was reported that his renewable energy company Mesa Power had purchased 667 wind turbines from GE for part of its Pampa Wind Project, which is set to go “on-line” in 2011. The Pampa Wind Project intends to add 4,000 megawatts of electricity to the Texas power grid, covering about 400,000 acres in the panhandle region of the state.

Wind Power: Not Just Hot Air

Pickens’ home state of Texas is leading the nation in wind energy but, according to the American Wind Energy Association, production is occurring in most parts of the country. Worldwide, wind power “has been the fastest-growing power source worldwide on a percentage basis, with an annual average growth rate exceeding 30%” from 1990 to 2002.

Thomas Boone Pickens founded Mesa Petroleum Corporation in 1956 after working as a geologist and consultant for other oil companies. The company is the largest independent producer of oil and gas in the United States, and has acquired several smaller oil companies since its inception. Pickens has founded several other companies and foundations, including Mesa Power, a separate venture to explore renewable energy, particularly wind power.

Historically, the city of Houston has been known as an oil hub, but recently Mayor Bill White announced that 25 percent of the city’s electricity is now coming from wind. The move was prompted by Hurricane Katrina, which “damaged oil and gas infrastructure and increased the price of natural gas, which Houston relies on heavily for electricity.”